


Up towards the sun

by wannabe_free



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Niall-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 18:50:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabe_free/pseuds/wannabe_free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Niall sees the small lumps on his back he freaks out.  He stands naked in front of the mirror, the glassy surface still blurry with the steam of the shower he’s just had. There’s something in his back that feels odd.  It doesn’t necessarily ache; it’s like a stretching feeling, something from his insides fighting to come onto the surface, pulling at the skin and muscles that come in its way.</p><p>AU- OT5-Niall centric.<br/>Niall isn't human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up towards the sun

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone is writing 1D having superpowers and I am so original that I decided to do just the same.  
> Please let me know what you think and forgive any mistakes you will surely find because English is not my mother tongue and this is unbetaed.  
> <3

Niall often dreams that he flies.

 

 He stands on top of a skyscraper or a cliff and he takes a couple of steps forwards to take a peak of what’s under him. Then something makes him trip and he dramatically loses his footing plunging right into the void, arms and legs twisting and kicking about as he tries to fight against gravity.

 

It’s a funny feeling; falling. Everything flashes before his eyes in vague greys and whites until Niall shuts them tight and thinks  _please, please, please, don’t let me die._

 

He never crashes. He stops in the air in the last second just as he is about about to turn into mash against the concrete, when a force that grows inside him pushes him up. Up towards the sun.

 

 *

 

The first time Niall sees the small lumps on his back he freaks out.  He stands naked in front of the mirror, the glassy surface still blurry with the steam of the shower he’s just had. There’s something in his back that feels odd.  It doesn’t necessarily ache; it’s like a stretching feeling, something from his insides fighting to come onto the surface, pulling at the skin and muscles that come in its way.

 

There are two of them that grow just above his shoulder blades, sharp and bony under his skin.  There’s no logical explanation as to why they would be there. They are there just for the sake of being, still too tiny to be noticed under his clothes, just a reminder that they could change his life forever. The first thing that comes to Niall’s mind is cancer and after some research on the internet he’s about 80 percent sure that he is going to die.

 

The lumps keep on growing, sticking out more and more and threatening to break the skin that contains them and soon Niall can’t leave the house without making sure his clothes are loose and dark.

 

He isn’t ready to give explanations, can’t even bring himself to talk about it out loud. The tingling sensation turns into sharp cramps that make him hunch over and leave him breathless for minutes.

 

He has never been so afraid in his whole life. He barely sleeps and feeds himself with worries and what ifs. At home he doesn’t wear a t-shirt because his skin is so oversensitive that even the slightest brush hurts and on the rare occasions he leaves the flat he constantly shies away from people’s touch. His skin doesn’t feel his anymore and his own body has rebelled against him. He looks at death in the eye, not daring to look away from it even for a second, and meanwhile he forgets important things, such as how to be himself.

 

*

 

Liam finds out first and it’s purely accidental.

 

The two of them are watching telly on Liam’s flat when the skin of Niall’s back starts to burn and Niall can only hiss between gritted teeth and press himself hard against the back of the sofa trying to numb the pain but it only gets worse. He clenches his hands into fists until his knuckles are white and his palms sweaty and he waits for it to get better but the pain only gets worse and worse until his vision becomes blurry with dizziness and unshed tears.

 

After a while, Liam notices something thick and warm seeping onto his white jumper, something that emanates from Niall.

 

There’s a sharp cry.

 

*

 

The doctors can’t find an explanation. They run blood tests, CAT scans, X-RAYS and biopsies, yet they can’t come up with answers.

  

Liam, Harry and Zayn have to stand up, because there are only two chairs in the doctor’s office. Louis is beside him and Niall feels his leg bobbing up and down from where their knees are touching.  Niall places a hand on his friend’s calf, stretching his fingers to cover with them as much of Louis’s leg as he can.

 

Zayn’s hand ghosts over his shoulder and Niall’s muscles tense around it afraid that Zayn will accidently touch his upper back. However, the tanned hand never leaves his shoulder, light as a feather.  It’s been a while since he has let anyone touch him and he is relishing in the warmth of it, letting it wipe out any feeling of solitude Niall might have felt in the past weeks.

  

The doctor says that it’s not carcinogenic or malignant and they all share small, nervous smiles and let out a sharp breath of relief. Niall squeezes Louis’ upper leg tighter, his voice quivering as he asks, “Then. Then am I not going to die?”

 

The doctor looks at his computer as if the screen had Niall’s fate written on it, “Well, not in a good seventy years.” He replies.

 

Niall lets out another shaky breath and collapses further on his chair and Harry moves behind him, carefully snakes his arms around his torso and plants a quick peck on  top of his head.

 

“I’m afraid we can’t give you answers about the lumps, though.” The doctor adds, “We’ll try to run a few more tests. Meanwhile I am going to prescribe you something for the pain. We’ll keep a close eye on the evolution, just make sure to keep the wound clean, the flesh is open right now, it will take some weeks to heal properly and any dirt might cause an infection.”

 

Niall sees Louis nod his head and he is glad that at least someone is paying attention to what the doctor is saying. He stopped listening the moment he was told that he isn’t going to die.

 

There’s a bubble of excitement and emotion constricting his chest and his throat and he’s so happy he could cry. He wants to go home and be with the boys; make up for all the time he’s lost avoiding them. He wants to allow his friends to remind him the feeling of being on top on the world, like in one of those dreams Niall keeps having where there’s nothing above him but the sun.

 

*

 

Later that day they are all gathered in Niall’s flat and the blond sits shirtless on the coffee table with only the bandage covering him. Liam brings the first-aid kit and Zayn rolls up the sleeves of his jumper.

 

“Okay, Louis, hand me the scissors,” He says, “I hope that the blood has dried by now or we are gonna get messy.”

 

Louis chuckles as he offers the scissors and Harry gasps, nervously runs a hand through his hair and exclaims, “Oh god! I really don’t want to watch this. If it’s too gory I swear I am going to puke.”

 

Liam rolls his eyes and pushes him gently to the side, walking towards Niall, “Does it hurt?” He asks.

 

Niall rolls his shoulders testily, “No, not right now. I can’t feel anything.”

 

“Don’t do that, you’ll fuck up your stitches.” Zayn reprimands.

 

Niall nods and bites his bottom lip worriedly and Liam sits next to him on the coffee table and holds his hand as they both listen to the sound of scissors opening and closing behind their backs, closer and closer.

 

Zayn takes a couple of deep breaths and finally starts cutting the bandage, “Okay Louis, be ready to hand me the cotton and the Betadine.” He orders.

 

The bandage falls from Niall’s back and into the table, thick and gross with dried blood and then there’s a general gasp. Niall’s eyes flutter close and he clutches Liam’s hand harder. “What!?” He asks with urgency, “Goddamnit, what is it?”

 

Soft fingers run up and down his spine and past the wound, running small circles around the lumps.

 

“Niall, what the fuck!?” Louis mutters, “It’s healed. The wound is closed, and this wasn’t supposed to heal for weeks!”

 

“What!?” Niall jumps to his feet feeling the stitches pull a little, but that’s pretty much all he feels. He strides towards the bathroom, hears the boys hot on his heels. He pushes the door open and it bangs against the wall but Niall doesn’t pay it any attention, he just turns his back to the mirror and turns his neck as much as he can until he can see the expanse of smooth skin of his back, reddish with dried blood but otherwise unscratched, the skin around the stitches now healed, not even a scab.

 

“The doctor said that the bone was poking out.” Harry says from the door “But now there’s skin covering the lumps.”

 

Niall walks his eyes across the reflection of his back, his eyes wide with incredulity. Finally, his eyes fall on the reflection of Zayn who is worrying his lips, his face somber.

 

“What’s going on with me?”

 

 

*

 

A week later and Niall wakes up with a sharp cry and panting against his pillow.  He clutches his blankets, his nails sinking into the mattress as he suppresses yet another cry.

 

His skin is being ripped open by something sharp, and it feels like a thousand daggers are being stuck violently into his flesh.

 

He can’t get up, can’t even consider the idea of calling the boys. He just lays on a pool of blood and waits until the fever and the pain overcome him. Then passes away, literally.

 

*

 

Zayn walks into his flat just as Niall is doing the laundry. The blonde hears the soft tingle of the keys he gave Zayn back when he moved and Zayn’s heavy steps. For a light person, Zayn stomps rather than walks and that’s how the blonde know that it’s him.

 

“Ni! Ni, are you home? I need to borrow a…” Niall turns around just in time to see Zayn look at him and drop the keys on floor.  There’s a pause, then Zayn’s steps resound in Niall's head louder and louder as he approaches. The blonde quickly tries to hide the brownish, sticky blankets that he is holding in his arms however Zayn takes them from him, throws them to the floor and starts fussing over Niall, trying to find any trace of damage; there’s no trail of blood on his clothes or body, at least nothing that is visible.

 

Niall notices the dark hands trembling, eyes flickering from the blankets to Niall and back to blankets, trying to find a logical explanation.

 

“Something has happened.” Niall mutters.

 

Zayn’s Adam Apple bobs up and down. He wets his lips and looks away; something he does when he is nervous. Niall takes his hand and walks him to the living room, in the hope that Zayn will feel better if he doesn’t have to stare at Niall’s blankets dripping fat drops of gore onto the kitchen tiles.

 

*

 

“You look different.”  Zayn mutters once they are sitting on one of the sofas. “Pale and bright and …”

 

“Not human?” Niall offers.

 

Zayn rubs his hands on his knees repeatedly. He looks gaunt and sickly as his eyes study Niall with a hint of curiosity and fear. “Niall, the blood, it was everywhere…” He insists.

 

Niall doesn’t say anything. Instead he brings his hands to the hem of the jumper he has forced himself to wear this morning and yanks until the garment is gone. Zayn’s dark eyes rake over his torso inspective and invasive and Niall takes a deep breath and turns around offering his back to him.

 

There are two cartilaginous membranes in the form of sticks standing where the lumps use to be, taking root on Niall’s flesh. The ivory “sticks” branch out towards the end, like the limbs of a tree. They aren’t quite big, but still big enough to be noticed under the clothes.

 

There’s a shaky breath behind him and soft fingertips grazing the area without daring to touch directly. “What are them?”

 

Niall turns around again and notices that Zayn is even paler now and for a second the blonde fears that his friend might pass out on the sofa. “I don’t know.” He replies quietly. “But I don’t think the doctors will know either.”

 

Zayn looks away again, his tongue poking out from the corner of his lips. He looks towards the ceiling before he confronts the blonde again. “What do you mean, they won’t know?”

 

Niall looks at him for the longest of time. He takes a hold of Zayn's hand and guides it towards his  own chest leaving it to lay flat against the cold, creamy skin, then placing his own hand above Zayn’s, never breaking eye contact. 

 

Zayn pushes his palm harder against Niall’s heart and his eyes go wide with alarm.

 

“I can’t feel anything.” He says nervously.

 

“Exactly.”

 

*

 

“So have you been bitten by a vampire lately?”

 

Niall rolls his eyes and feels grateful when Liam elbows Harry in the ribs. He knew that telling the boys about his no longer beating heart was going to be difficult but he’s seriously fed up with this.

 

They have considered every single option. Louis thinks that he is a devil and Zayn and Liam that he is a sort of super hero. It’s all pretty ridiculous and Niall feels like they aren’t taking this as seriously as they should.

 

“Let’s just switch the topic, okay? I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.” He sighs as he massages his temple.

 

Liam, who is sitting beside him on the sofa, brings Niall closer to his body flinching when he feels the cartilage poking against his ribs. “You know we want to help you, right?” He says as he tries to adjust Niall’s weight in a way that’s comfortable for the two of them. “Whatever is happening to you, you have us. We’ve got your back.”

 

Niall shifts his weight again, unable to find an angle where his back doesn’t hurt. “What if this is permanent?” He asks to no one in particular. “I don’t wanna be a freak. How am I supposed to live like this?”

 

“Maybe you can have them like, removed or something?” Harry offers.

 

“Yeah and how do I explain that I don’t have a pulse without ending up in a circus?” Niall retorts, only relaxing when he feels Liam’s hand squeezing his hip firmly.

 

“Don’t be sad, Niall.” Says Louis, then his voice adopts a cryptic tonality and he adds, “Death is the only thing that doesn’t have a solution and it looks like you don’t even have to worry about that anymore.”

 

*

 

One day Niall wakes up and the cartilaginous membranes are covered by a thin layer of feathers, soft to the eye; a collage of light grey, white and beige.

 

“You reckon you can fly with those?” Louis asks when he sees them.

 

“Yeah. Like not yet, they are still too tiny, but I dream of flying all the time, so I guess that means I will.”

 

All the boys look at him impressed. Liam giggles nervously, twisting his hands over his lap and Harry takes a step forward with his arm stretched.

 

When Harry goes to touch them Niall flinches away; a natural, instinctive reaction.

 

“Oh, um sorry Ni.” Harry looks kind of awkward and he lets his hand fall against the side of his body, his fingers pressed tight in a fist like he’s trying to restrain himself.

 

Niall takes a step away hugging himself and explains, “It’s just, you could be like um, touching my dick and it would feel less personal, you know?”

 

It doesn’t look like Harry understands but he nods his head and smirks, “Are you giving us permission to touch your junk, Horan?” He asks.

 

Niall smirks back and doesn’t back away, “You guys have that permission from day one, thought you knew that.” He retorts.

 

*

 

Now that something inside himself has changed Niall finds himself seeking for moments of peace and tranquility. He’s become more observant; the omniscient narrator of his own story. He doesn’t need to be on the first row for everything anymore. He’s content watching people from afar, intervening just when he must to. He slowly starts to realize that his former life doesn’t quite satisfy him anymore; he is starting to suspect that he is here for a greater purpose, even if he still doesn’t know what that might be.

 

*

 

It takes a while getting used to the wings. It’s difficult to walk with them. They upset his balance and sometimes he struggles to fit through the doors. They are too heavy when they get wet and it takes ages before Niall can find a comfortable position to sleep. He doesn’t fit in his clothes either and he can’t cuddle with the boys on the sofa without blocking the television. Sometimes Niall flutters them unconsciously in his sleep, and it wouldn’t be the first time he wakes up to a trashed room.

 

Until they find a solution Niall is confined at home, knowing that if people discover him he's fucked.

 

*

 

Niall finds himself liking Zayn’s presence more and more. They hang out a lot doing whatever. Most of the times though, Zayn draws and Niall just exists.

 

They don’t always talk but when they do it’s always meaningful. It feels nice to use words like that. It makes Niall feel that his life is a little less purposeless. Maybe his destiny is to be there, watching Zayn as he draws and paints life with colors, exchanging words and thoughts as if they were treasures.

 

*

 

“Will you let me draw them?”

 

“Uh?”

 

 Zayn catches him out of guard constantly. Niall’s been trapped in his mind lately, feet rooted to the ground but his thoughts far, far away.

 

“I’d like to draw them.” Says the British boy, “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but you know. If it’s gonna feel like I’m asking you to draw your dick then…”

 

Niall snorts and shakes his head in disbelief but Zayn looks more serious than he’s ever been, “Will you let me, then?” He insists with urgency.

 

“Yeah.” Niall replies breathily. “Okay I guess you can.”

 

Zayn quirks an eyebrow, his eyes expressive but his lips still void of any smile, “Me? Only me?”

 

Niall feels his cheeks flush and he has to look away for a short moment, “Yeah.” He murmurs, “You are different.”

 

Zayn walks towards him with resolution, tanned hands falling on his hips and pouty lips grazing Niall’s earlobe.

 

“Will you let me touch them?”

 

Niall leans his upper body slightly backwards to look at Zayn and licks his lips.

 

“Perhaps.”

 

*

 

Niall lets Zayn lay him on the mattress, “Do they hurt like this?” He whispers.

 

“No, no.” Niall replies raspy, a hint of desperation in his voice. He grabs Zayn by his collar and brings him close. “Come. Come here.”

 

Zayn noses along Niall’s jaw and adjusts his weight above him. “I know what you are.” He breaths out against Niall’s ear.

 

Niall’s hands trail the contours of Zayn’s back thumbing along his bony vertebrae, stopping over the bottom of his spine and pressing there gently.  “Tell me.” Urges the blond.

 

A “later” dies against his lips.

 

 *

 

“Why does everyone want to touch them?” Asks Niall some time later.

 

He doesn’t have to wait too much for an answer, Zayn stares at him with a confidence that should not be allowed when he is laying naked and vulnerable on the bed, his voice laced with raw sincerity as he replies, “Because they are beautiful.”

 

Niall nods. He shyly turns around and lays flat on his stomach, exposing himself and the wings completely. He places his arms under his head and closes his eyes, as if giving permission.

 

“Are you sure Niall? You are trembling.”

 

Niall opens his eyes and looks at Zayn. He sits up and kneels on the mattress in front of Zayn, silently asks the other boy to do the same. Niall stares at him and brings up his skinny arms to sling around Zayn’s neck, nodding his head.

 

Zayn first places a hand on his waist, then slides it upwards, leaving a trail of goosebumps as it advances upwards.

 

“Okay, I am gonna…”

 

There’s a sharp intake of air, a soft hand trailing up his spine, touching what no one has touched before.

 

*

 

The night falls upon them and Niall lays in Zayn’s arms relaxed and trusting, his eyes closed as the older boy’s hand caresses the soft feathers repeatedly, his breath a lullaby against Niall’s ear.

 

“Do you still want to know what you are?” Asks Zayn out of the blue.

 

Drowsy as he is Niall can merely manage a lazy, “uh?”

 

“An angel. You are an angel.”

 

*

 

That night Niall dreams of them for the first time. They don’t talk but their words resound clearly in Niall’s head. Niall learns what he is, his history, his roots, his fate. They tell him that he is not where he should be, Niall retorts that he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. They give him a deadline and Niall squirms in Zayn’s arms, begs with them and wakes up crying.

 

*

 

“You haven’t left the house for weeks, Niall.” Says Louis, one day as they squeeze to fit in Harry’s bed to watch a movie.

 

“Well” Niall replies, “I can’t exactly walk around with these, right?”

 

They all look at the wings standing bright and big and soft. Niall can’t even wear tops these days.

 

“Summer break is around the corner.” Says Harry, “I spoke to my father; they have a cottage in the country they don’t use.  We could go there. We don’t have neighbors, it would be just us.”

 

“You sure of that?”  Asks Liam, “We cannot take any risks.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah I am sure. There’s plenty space for us.” The he looks at Niall and points at the wings, “For you to um, spread your wings and such.”

 

“Maybe we can train you to fly!” Exclaims Louis excitedly.

 

Zayn laughs melodically. “This is not chicken run, Louis.” He says, then excitedly asks, “What do you say, Ni?  Wanna go?”

 

Niall bites his lips and looks at them, his non-beating heart growing big and fat at the mere sight of the four people that make him the happiest man in the world. “Yeah, yeah” He smiles. “We should definitely go.”

 

*

 

Someone presses fast forward and soon the boys find themselves in Harry’s cottage. As the boys unpack Niall sits on the grass by the pool, feet in the water and eyes wandering about.

 

It’s a beautiful place. The landscape is green and wild and the sky dyed with red and grey announcing the sunset. 

 

He thinks of the time he has left. Two weeks and he’ll be gone for a long while. He still doesn’t know how to tell the guys; they have the right to know and he knows he shouldn't break the news the day before he has to leave but at the same time he doesn’t want to spoil their last two weeks of being together with tears or sadness.

 

“Ni! Ni, come inside, dinner is ready!”

 

Liam strides towards him and puts a hand on his shoulder. He furrows his eyes slightly, sits beside Niall and places a hand on his thigh, “Ni, mate, are you alright?”

 

Niall looks at him with tears prickling his eyes. He looks at his lap for a second and at Liam again and a fat teardrop slides down his cheek. He bites his lip and a pained sob leaves his lips. 

 

“I have to go, Liam.” He confesses.

 

Liam studies his face, “What do you mean, go? We just came here.”

 

Niall shakes his head in frustration. He brings his feet out of the water and hugs his knees to his chest, another set of tears escaping his eyes, “No.” He clarifies. “I mean like go,  _GO_.”

 

Pure dread spreads across Liam’s features. He tightens his hold on Niall’s thigh and his voice wavers when he asks, “Forever?”

 

Niall takes his time to answer. He looks away from Liam, his anguished eyes wandering across the land in front of him. “I don’t know yet.”

 

*

 

“I’m going to miss you, a lot.” Says Louis, voice thick with emotion.

 

Niall dries his eyes with the back of his hand. He’s done nothing but crying for the last three days.

 

“You will come back to us, right?”

 

Niall shrugs his shoulders in a quick movement, “Maybe, Louis. I can’t… It’s not me who decides. If I could decide I wouldn’t be leaving.”

 

Louis shakes his head, ignoring him, “You need to work your ass off, Niall Horan.” He urges, “Do whatever it takes, but make sure that you come back.”

 

*

 

Niall has been sharing a bed with Zayn since they came to the cottage a week ago. The boys agreed to give them some privacy and they have been making the most of it until now. Tonight, tough, Harry makes a beeline for the room and before Zayn can do anything about it he is closing the door and locking it behind him.

 

Niall is getting ready for bed and he looks surprised to see Harry there instead of Zayn but he doesn’t seem to mind all that much. He smiles at Harry, small but warm and gets into the bed patting the other side as an invitation.

 

Harry nods and gets inside the blankets facing Niall on the bed, his arm immediately coming to rest on Niall’s waist, his nose buried deep in the blond’s neck and Niall’s wings flutter with happiness.

 

Harry looks at them marveled and Niall smiles at him and whispers, “You can touch them, if it's important for you.”

 

Harry gulps, his hands again turning into tight fists, “Are you making indecent proposals to me when we are sharing a bed, Horan?”

 

Niall shrugs his shoulders and waits, and Harry simply leans forwards, presses a kiss to Niall’s forehead and tucks him closer, hands careful not to touch the wings.

 

*

 

“So, am I the last one to know this?” Hisses Zayn.

 

They are in the room, the closed door doing little to silence Zayn’s shouts and it’s been two times that Liam has knocked on the door to check if everything is okay.

 

Niall flinches and wraps his hand around Zayn’s wrist but the older boy immediately breaks free from the touch and starts pacing around the room. “Zayn, please, let me explain.” Niall begs.

 

Zayn shakes his head frantically and rubs his face, “No, no.” He insists stubbornly, “I don’t want to know a thing about this.”

 

And with this, he takes long strides towards the door and exits the room with a bang sparing a glance at Niall.

 

*

 

That night Louis suggests that they all go to garden and make a bonfire to appease their spirits. Niall takes his guitar with him and sits cross-legged on the grass, his knees touching Liam’s who bobs his leg up and down to the rhythm of the guitar.

 

Louis sits next to Zayn, a supportive arm around his back as the tanned boy watches Niall from afar, his eyes dark and shiny. Harry gets up from where he is sitting and plops down near Liam and Niall.  “Can you play  _stand by me_?” Asks he pointing at the guitar with his head, “It fits the situation right? With the bonfire and all.”

 

Niall pats the wooden surface of the guitar gently, looks at Liam and soon his fingers start moving, at first clumsily, eyes not  daring to leave the strings afraid he will mess up. However, soon he gains confidence as Harry and Liam start harmonizing to the song and Niall lets his eyes wander, studying his friends’ faces highlighted by the bonfire, like a halo.

 

Louis smiles at him, sadly but reassuringly, leaning closer to Zayn  but his eyes not leaving Niall’s as he mouths, “ _So darling, darling stand by me_ ,”.

 

Niall messes up a note.

 

*

 

Later, after they have sung a couple of songs, Niall starts talking.

 

“So like, in six days, I will be gone with the likes of me. Usually if someone heads for  _that place_  they don’t wanna come back, because well, apparently the place is like heaven or something, but you are given the chance to come back, if you want.”

 

Niall makes a pause and takes a breath. He catches Zayn finally looking at him with interest so he adds, “There’s the option to become a Guardian Angel. Like, you chose to spend your eternity taking care of people you love and such. It’s difficult, though, you have to work your ass off to pass a test and apparently it’s a hard test. Not everybody can pass it.”

 

The silence stretches longer this time with the boys nervously stealing glances at each other.

 

“I’ll work every day.” Says Niall with determination,  “I won’t sleep until I pass that test and I’ll spend the rest of my life being your Guardian Angel, if you want me to.”

 

“How long?” Asks Zayn with a little voice. “How long you’ll be gone?”

 

Niall looks at him and his heart aches, “It depends. It could take months or years or forever.”

 

Zayn nods silently, then he gets up clumsily and leaves towards the cottage, his skinny frame swaying a little.

 

*

 

Niall steps into the dark room, quietly trying to not disturb the sleeping boy. He takes off his jeans, flutters his wings carefully then gets into the bed.

 

“Niall?”

 

Zayn’s groggy voice comes muffled by a pillow and Niall shifts closer to him. Drapes a leg and an arm over him and pecks his cheek.

 

“Yeah, it’s me.” He whispers.

 

Zayn buries his head on his chest so his next words are muffled and barely understandable. “I wish this had never happened to you.” He lets out and Niall feels something humid land on his chest, “I wish you could be just human so that you wouldn’t have to go.”

 

Niall takes a deep breath, hands roaming Zayn’s back and massaging his scalp.

 

“I’ll be back for you.” He assures. “I am going take care of you.”

 

Zayn disentangle their limbs and puts distance between their faces so that he can look at the blond properly.

 

“And how do I know that you’ll want to be back?” He narrows his eyes accusingly and adds, “ Why would you want to leave heaven, uh?”

 

Niall grits his teeth, eyes fierce and unforgiving on Zayn as he digs his nails into his hips.

  


“Because there is no heaven without you, you idiot. My heaven is wherever you lot are.” He hisses, “ My question is, will I have something to come back to?”

  


Zayn grunts something unintelligible, kisses him desperately and fucks him into the mattress.

 

*

 

Niall doesn’t say goodbye. He walks room by room silently and tries to save in his mind the memory of his still sleeping friends as tears fall freely from his eyes. He pulls out one of his feathers for each of the boys and places them on their pillows, above their heads. Then he walks towards the door ready to start his journey. Up. Up towards the sun.

 

 


End file.
